Consumer ICT trends

At the end of 2011 the division of Ericsson ConsumerLab defined the main consumer trends on the 2012th and the next years. Analysts of the company, in particular, noted that the Internet for the modern person became the same basic requirement as roads and electricity, social networks change an appearance of news journalism, and each user can become provider of services now.

More than 15 years in Ericsson ConsumerLab preferences and opinions of end users on products and services of the IT industry study. The world study program of Ericsson is based on annual interviewing more than 100 thousand respondents representing more than 40 countries and 10 megalopolises of the world. On this basis the company makes the next list of an ICT trends from the point of view of users.

1. Connection above all. The Internet is as necessary for the modern person now as air, communications or electricity. The Internet — nearly the last from what the acting users are ready to refuse to cut down expenses in case of need.

2. Everyone can become provider of services. The need for new services is huge. The Internet allows both to the companies, and ordinary to users to create new solutions, for example, software applications.

3. Social networks change news space. Social networks determine growth of Internet consumption of images, video and music, and their increasing role in relevance assessment of news using direct comments of active associates is observed recently.

4. Mobile phones play a significant role in everyday life. Today users show keen interest in geodependent mobile services. Up to 90% of all owners of smartphones never leave the phones, at the same time only 80% mentioned that constantly carry at themselves cash.

5. The transparency is more important than the mystery of private life. People like the idea of transparency and openness in private life more and more and demand the same from the companies and the organizations.

6. Clouds make the user's life easier. Information exchange and existence of several devices which are constantly connected to the Internet is a reality of the modern user and the main incentive of active development of cloud services. In its basis availability and ease of use.

7. The popularity of smartphones grows thanks to... to women. The research conducted in 2011 revealed distinct gender distinctions of users of smartphones: men save leadership in use of highly specialized services while women give preference to the strategy of the integrated use of the whole set of popular services, such as voice calls, SMS and Facebook. Similar sharing of different communication links from one device does women by the main popular writers of smartphones in the market.

8. It became easier to make purchases. The recent research showed that 67% of owners of smartphones are interested in service of mobile payments. This trend should be considered in wider context of a paradigm of daily shopping. It is more and more important to consumer to have mobile access to such information as characteristics of goods, the saved-up bonuses, perfect transactions and even navigation in shopping center.

9. World in touch. On volume mobile traffic bypassed voice at the end of 2009, to the first quarter 2011 the gap increased to two times! Users even more often use mobile Internet connection in interaction with surrounding things and devices, such as cars, vending machines, tourniquets, etc.

10. The uncertainty in tomorrow dictates the need for control. Presently economic instability and natural cataclysms, such as earthquakes, users show the increasing interest in services of monitoring of work of municipal services, in particular networks water - and power supply. Other sign of time — the gain of control over personal expenses and consumption level caused by reduction of income.